segunda-feira, 25 de janeiro de 2016

Beneath Her Way with Blume - An Interview


Arthur Bennell é a persona por trás do Blume.

Pós punk, psicodelia, repetições, melancolia latente é o que transpira do EP de estreia homônimo lançado no final do ano passado.

Algo como um KVB mais droneado e menos eletrônico, ou algo assim.

Puco importa definições, o Blume é audição obrigatória na nascente safra de novas bandas canadenses e vem material novo em breve via a já predileta da casa Custom Made Music.

É só aguardar.

***** Interview with Blume *****


Q. When did Blume start? Tell us about the history...
Blume is a project I have just recently started a few months before the release of the first E.P. I had started it to give me some extra music to work on when I am unable to jam with the other groups I play with. The first song I wrote for this project was Beneath Her Ways, and after realizing I could create and perform the song entirely solo I decided to write some more songs which became the four songs on the self titled E.P.

Q: Who are your influences?
I draw from many different musical influences from a variety of genres. I really enjoy minimalist and repetitive songs that have a very simple structure. Bands like Spacemen 3, DIIV, Wooden Shjips, and The KVB are often what I am listening too. A huge influence for me is The Velvet Underground, I love how they can take two chords and create meaningful moving music with just that. Another big influence on me is Joy Division. I always find myself coming back to their robotic tight drum sounds and the bass driven post punk sound. Something about the simplicity of the music draws me in.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This changes all the time but right now I would say...
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
The Kills- Keep on Your Mean Side
Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription
The Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground & Nico
Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I have actually never performed live with Blume all though the plan is to set up some shows in the very near future. Performing the E.P live will be quite different from the original recordings, because I play with a drum machine and loops the songs will have to build as I loop the different parts of the songs and once the structure is down there will be a lot more improvisation not heard in the recordings.

Q. How do you describe Blume sounds?
I would describe Blume's music as mellow melancholy dream-pop. It is very minimalist in structure and relies heavily on soft melodies, repetitive drums, and unique tones to give the songs a more fluid feel.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
All of the recordings have been done at home on a digital Tascam multi-track recorder. All tracks are done in a continuous take and aren't edited besides some equalization so what you hear is whats being played. I first start off with programming and recording the drum machine. Once I have that recorded I will go ahead and record the guitar parts, generally I do a few overdubs of the guitar parts to give them a more full sound and it gives me the ability to shape the tone a bit more. I then record the bass and synths and add any background effects or noises. The last part of the process is the vocals, which I throw a bunch of reverb and go from there, normally the vocals will have a few tracks quieter in the background with one track being predominant, this is to make them a bit more warm and full.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
There are so many great local bands in my area that I highly recommend. Most have been around for sometime now but definitely deserve some more attention. Power-Buddies would be at the top of my list, they are a garage rock trio that are so raw and so catchy, once you hear them you wont get them outta your head. They are also some of the nicest people I know and always working hard at their craft. I'd also recommend Pyramid // Indigo, an experimental ambient band also from Edmonton. They have been together for about a year now and make absolutely sublime soundscapes that you just get lost in. You have to check them out.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
If I had to pick one specific band I would choose The Rolling Stones. I love all of there albums and how versatile they are. They can make dirty blues, raw rock n roll, catchy garage rock, psychedelic trips, and even pop songs. I could never get bored playing their music.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Currently I am working on releasing the E.P on cassette, this will just be a short run of around 50 copies and will be released on Custom Made Music. I am also hard at work putting songs together for the follow up release. It is still in the early writing stages but I am hoping to have a release sometime in spring 2016 if everything stays on track.

Q: Any parting words?
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https://blumeband.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/Blume-581864445295476